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Archive entry for August 2009

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August 2009

Beaded Doilies

Doilies2009.jpg

Knitted doilies from the early 1960s

These were frequently used when I was a child, as everyone had a milk jug to protect - and often as not, no refrigerator. I need to point our here, (just to be clear), that I did not come into the world during the era when milk was delivered daily straight from a churn into your own jug - ours did come in bottles.
Actually, I exaggerate our level of refinement "chez nous" - we did not have our milk in a jug as the norm. Mrs Blake did though, and I remember her lovely hand-made beaded doilies, to which I even now aspire - even though my milk is safe in a carton in the fridge.

I also remember camping with the Girl Guides, and protecting our dishes of jam with net cloths - only to find them later covered in wasps, munching away, having casually sliced their way through the netting with their sharp little mandibles! [Not members of the saw-fly family for nothing].

Larger doily

Start with 10ch, join with slip stitch to form a ring.

Pass loops on to knitting needle thus:
* insert hook into next ch and pull loop through, pass loop on to knitting needle; repeat from * 8 times more, dividing the 10 sts over three needles (3 on each of two needles and 4 on one).

1st Round: Knit.
2nd Round (and every alternate up to the 14th round):
knit.
The instructions give one repeat of the pattern stitches only and this is repeated 9 times more on every round (10 times in all).

3rd Round: Yfwd, k1.
5th Round: Yfwd, k2.
7th Round: Yfwd, k3.
9th Round: Yfwd, k1, yfwd, k1, k2tog.
11th Round: Yfwd, k1, yfwd, k2, k2tog.
13th Round: Yfwd, k1, yfwd, k3, k2tog.
15th Round: Yfwd, k1, yfwd, k2, yfwd, k2, k2tog.
16th Round: K7, k2tog.
17th Round: Yfwd, k1, yfwd, k2, yfwd, k3, k2tog.

Rep 16th and 17th rounds until 41 st round is completed, having one knit stitch more before k2tog at end of each repeat. [220 sts]

42nd Round (and all even rounds unless otherwise stated): knit

From now on one repeat of pattern stitches is given and is repeated 19 times more (20 times in all).

43rd Round: K10, yfwd, k1, yfwd.
45th Round: K10, yfwd, k3, yfwd.
47th Round: K10, yfwd, k2tog, yfwd, k1, yfwd, slip1, k1, psso, yfwd.
49th Round: Slip1, k1, psso, k6, (k2tog, yfwd) twice, k3, yfwd, slip1, k1, psso, yfwd.
51st Round: Slip1, k1, psso, k4, (k2tog, yfwd) 3 times, k1, yfwd, (slip 1, k1, psso, yfwd) twice.
53rd Round: Slip1, k1, psso, k2, ( k2tog, yfwd) 3 times, k3, yfwd, (slip 1, k1, psso, yfwd) twice.
55th Round: Slip2, k2tog, psso, yfwd, (k2tog, yfwd) 3 times, k1, yfwd, (slip1, k1, psso, yfwd) 3 times.
57th Round: K1, (k2tog, yfwd) 3 times, k3, (yfwd, slip1, k1, psso) 3 times.
59th Round: Slip the last st of each right needle on to left needle, slip 1, k2tog, psso, yfwd, (k2tog, yfwd) 3 times, k1, yfwd, (slip 1, k1, psso, yfwd) 3 times.

61st Round: K1, (k2tog,yfwd) 3 times, k1, k twice into next st, k1, (yfwd, slip 1, k1, psso) 3 times.
62nd Round: Slip the last stitch of each right needle on to left needle, slip 1, k2tog, psso, (k2tog, yfwd) twice, (k3, yfwd) twice, slip1, k1, psso, yfwd, slip1, k1, psso.

63rd Round: K8, k5 sts into next st, k7.

65th Round: Slip the last stitch of each right needle on to left needle, slip 1, k2tog, psso, k2tog, yfwd, k4, yfwd, k2tog, yfwd, k1, yfwd, slip1, k1, psso, yfwd, k4, yfwd, slip1, k1, psso.

67th Round: Slip last stitch of each right needle on left needle, slip 1, k2tog, psso, k5, yfwd, k2tog, yfwd, k3, yfwd, slip 1, k1, psso, yfwd, k5.
69th Round: K1, yfwd, slip 1, k1, psso, k1,
(k2tog, yfwd) twice, k5, (yfwd, slip1, k1, psso) twice, k1, k2tog, yfwd.

71st Round: K2, yfwd, slip1, k2tog, psso, yfwd, k2tog, yfwd, slip 1, k1, psso, k3, k2tog, yfwd, slip 1, k1, psso, yfwd, slip 1, k2tog, psso, yfwd, k1.
73rd Round: K1, k2tog, yfwd, k1, yfwd, k2tog, yfwd, k1, yfwd, slip 1, k1, psso, k1, k2tog, (yfwd, k1, yfwd, slip1, k1, psso) twice.

74th Round: Knit.

Crochet Edging

75th Round: Slip last stitch of each right needle on to left needle. Insert hook into place near stitch just transferred and pull working thread through, * (insert hook into next 3 sts as if to knit, thread over and pull through, thread over and pull through 2 loops - dc made - slip the 3 worked sts from needle, 3ch) twice;
(insert hook into next 2 sts and make a dc as before, 7ch) twice;
insert hook into next 3 sts and make a dc as before;
(7ch, insert hook into next 2 sts and make a dc as before) twice;
3ch, insert hook into next 3 sts and make a dc as before, 3ch.
Repeat from *, ending with 1 slip stitch into first dc.
Fasten off.

[Editor's note: This final crochet row does take a long time - it is fiddly and took me well over an hour and a half of fiddling. However, you can be encouraged by the fact that this is your very last step to finishing - once completed, it's all over.]

Smaller doily

Start with 8ch, join with slip stitch to form a ring. Pass loop on to knitting needle and continue as for larger doily, noting that repeat is worked 7 times more (8 times in all) instead of 9.

Divide the 8 sts, 3 on 2 needles and 2 on 1.

Work as for larger doily until 29th round is completed.

30th Round: K14, k2tog.
From now on one rep is given and is repeated 11 times more.
31st Round: K9, yfwd, k1, yfwd.
32nd Round: (and all even rounds unless otherwise stated) Knit.
33rd Round: K9, yfwd, k3, yfwd.
35th Round: K9, yfwd, k2tog, yfwd, k1, yfwd, slip1, k1, psso, yfwd.
37th Round: Slip1, k1, psso, k5, (k2tog, yfwd) twice, k3, yfwd, slip1, k1, psso, yfwd.
39th Round: Slip1, k1, psso, k3, ( k2tog, yfwd) 3 times, k1, yfwd, (slip1, k1, psso, yfwd) twice.
41st Round: Slip1, k1, psso, k1, (k2tog, yfwd) 3 times, k3, yfwd, (slip1, k1, psso, yfwd) twice.
43rd Round: Slip1, k2tog, psso, yfwd, (k2tog, yfwd) 3 times, k1, yfwd, (slip1, k1, psso, yfwd) 3 times.

Continue as for larger doily starting from 57th round to end.

Making up

Sew in all ends.
Dampen and pin out to measurements.

Sew beads around edges - or make a set for your side table....

Materials

Coats Mercer Crochet Cotton No 40 (20 gram), 2 balls in selected colour.

1.00 mm (or No 4) steel crochet hook.

Set of four double pointed No 13 (2¼mm).
[Editor's note: these need to be long needles - I managed the larger doily on 8 inch but these were not long enough. You increase from 10 sts to over 400 and it is heart breaking to lose sts at the needles ends - it is essentially not recoverable with a lace pattern like this.]

Size matters

13 inch diameter for larger and 9½ inch for smaller.

Abbreviations

ch: chain
yfwd: yarn forward, or "yarn over"; make a stitch by passing the yarn over the needle.
psso: pass the slipped stitch(es) over
dc: double crochet remembering that this is UK notation, and in the US is referred to as single crochet.

A Word
on the Wool.

The recommended cotton was Coats Mercer Crochet 40. You need a fine thread to get the right drape - not necessarily insect proof but keep extra leaves out of the salad bowl (ones you haven't put in there intentionally...).

Example used Crochet cotton 40 in white for the smaller doily and Anchor Leinen 20 (colour 392, 50g ball: 430m) - a fine linen thread made in Germany. In either English or German websites I can only find the thicker No 10 referenced.

Disclaimer
(well...almost)

In transposing any pattern there is always a risk that errors will be introduced, in spite of dedicated proof reading. This is particularly annoying with a fine lace pattern.
If you have any problems with this pattern, please and I will try and assist.

Doily1.jpg

Doily2.jpg


© Christina Coutts 2007

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